Health P.E.I. looks for proposals to address security 'gaps' at Island hospitals

Health P.E.I. is looking for a security provider to address "gaps" at key health-care buildings in the province, including Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Prince County Hospital.

The move comes hard on the heels of a number of high-profile incidents that have led to expressions of concern from staff, unions and opposition MLAs.But staff have been raising concerns about violence and abuse in the workplace for years.

On Friday, Health Minister Mark McLane described plans for an expansion and renewal of security for all health-care facilities in the province.

He said he heard from frontline health-care staff last year about increasing concerns for their safety.

"I think it's society," McLane said."There's mental health challenges in our system. We've gone through COVID. Economic times are challenging for some people, which causes stresses.

"And access to the system...Sometimes it's hard to get the health care provider that you need, so that creates additional stress."

This year, the province has more than doubled the budget for Health P.E.I. to provide security in its buildings, up from $2.67 million in 2023-24 to $6.45 million.

A request for proposals issued by Health P.E.I. Wednesday details how the agency plans to spend the money.

"To effectively administer a comprehensive security program, there is a requirement to address several gaps," the document states.

'Visible presence' needed

Regarding the emergency department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, Health P.E.I.'s request for proposals document says: "We have noticed there are times that because of level of activity or patient mix, security have difficulty providing a visible presence specifically related to the waiting room coverage."

As for Prince County Hospital in Summerside, the document states: "The number and severity of violent incidents on the PCH nursing units, hospital property, front lobby and in the emergency department has increased over the years, requiring an increase in security and police presence."

Last month, staff at the QEH issued a code silver alert, used when a person is exhibiting violent behaviour and armed with a weapon.Police said a man was in an agitated state, throwing chairs and wielding a pencil in a threatening manner.The emergency waiting room had to be cleared out, and officers eventually subdued the man with a conducted energy weapon.

Another security gap identified in the RFP relates to the rotation of security personnel through different areas of the QEH.

Health P.E.I. now says that having security staff rotate that way limits "the ability to have cohesive teams to address security issues." The agency's new security plan requires a dedicated team to cover the emergency department and the new mental-health short-stay unit.

That new unit is only partly operational, functioning as a mental health emergency department.

In April the P.E.I. Nurses' Union said two nurses were injured in the new facility during what was labeled a code white situation, involving violent or aggressive behaviour.

Safety concerns raised before attack, P.E.I. Nurses' Union says

5 months ago

Duration 2:00

The P.E.I. Nurses' Union says an attack on a nurse at the mental health and addictions emergency department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital came after staff brought forward concerns about the unit's safety. Barbara Brookins, president of the union, spoke to CBC P.E.I. about the incident.

Even before that incident, the union had raised concerns about security and staffing in the new unit.

The president of the nurses' union, Barbara Brookins, told CBC News "the security system was ineffective" during the code white.

"Whether or not it went off there was not the response that was required to assist at the time," she said.

Union reviewing document

On Friday, the union said it needed time to go over the new RFP to see whether the concerns of nurses are being addressed.

Health P.E.I. has previously said it hired more security staff for the QEH emergency department in January, with higher levels of training and experience.They're now classified aspeace officers, with de-escalation training to cope with emerging problems.

Sheer volume might be a factor behind some of those problems. As the population has grown and more Islanders have found themselves without a primary care provider, visits to ERs have been increasing.

In 2020-21, Health P.E.I. logged 77,854 emergency room visits. Two years later, the most recent full fiscal year on record, the number was 93,280, representing an increase of 20 per cent.